Top 100 SA wines in 2014 – South Africa’s most consistently good wines over the past 10 years (best track records)

THERE’S BEEN much talk again of late about the Top 100 SA Wines and The Cape’s Top 20 Wineries of 2014 – the chatter about South Africa’s Top 100 wines prompted by a selection of various vintages of various types of wine based on the outcome of a local challenge involving some 490 competition entries, and the debate as to the country’s Top 20 wineries sparked by a pecking order resulting from 29 local and overseas-based critics participating in a poll. But considering reds versus whites, dry vs sweet, Chardonnays vs Sauvignon Blancs or Cabernet vs Shiraz, for example, is not without controversy – particularly when attempting to come up with a ranking of numbers one, two, three, etc.
 
Top Wine SA’s annual Classifications announced earlier in the year have traditionally focused on wines and cellars with the best track records in specific categories and involve a spread of vintages and assessments over a 10-year rather than 12-month period. Here the rankings typically haven’t gone further than the Top 10 Wines, class by class, the Top 20 Cellars, red and white, or the Top 100 Cellars overall when comparing producers of both red and white wines, unfortified. That said, see below for how things stack up when comparing all of South Africa’s different wines over the period 2004 to 2013 – the most consistent of the top-rated SA wines in 25 panel-tasting forums around the world in which the judging is performed ‘blind’ (with the labels out of sight).

Top 100 SA Wines in Alphabetical Order

 

Ataraxia Chardonnay
Axe Hill Cape Vintage (Port)
Beaumont Hope Marguerite (Chenin)
Bellingham The Bernard Series Old Vine Chenin Blanc (DGB)
Beyerskloof Field Blend (Bordeaux-style red blend)
Beyerskloof Pinotage Reserve
Boekenhoutskloof Cabernet Sauvignon
Boekenhoutskloof Syrah
Bon Courage Inkará Shiraz
Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve (Port)
Cape Point Isliedh (Bordeaux-style white blend)
Cape Point Sauvignon Blanc
Cape Point Semillon
Cederberg Five Generations Cabernet Sauvignon
Cederberg Sauvignon Blanc
Cederberg Shiraz
Chamonix Chardonnay Reserve
Chamonix Pinot Noir Reserve
Cirrus Syrah (Guardian Peak)
De Krans Cape Vintage Reserve (Port)
De Toren Fusion V (Bordeaux-style red blend)
De Trafford Cabernet Sauvignon
De Trafford Syrah 393
Diemersdal Eight Rows Sauvignon Blanc
Diemersfontein Carpe Diem Pinotage
Eagles’ Nest Shiraz
Eikendal Classique (Bordeaux-style red blend)
Ernie Els Proprietor’s Blend
Ernie Els Signature (Bordeaux-style red blend)
Fairview La Beryl Blanc (Straw, dessert)
Fleur du Cap Noble Late Harvest (Dessert wine, Bergkelder)
Fleur du Cap Unfiltered Cabernet Sauvignon (Bergkelder)
Fleur du Cap Unfiltered Chardonnay (Bergkelder)
Graham Beck Brut Blanc de Blancs (Cap Classique sparkling)
Graham Beck Pheasants’ Run Sauvignon Blanc
Groot Constantia Chardonnay
Guardian Peak Lapa Cabernet Sauvignon
Hamilton Russell Chardonnay
Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir
Hartenberg Gravel Hill Shiraz
Hartenberg The Stork Shiraz
Jordan Barrel Fermented Chardonnay
Jordan Cobblers Hill (Bordeaux-style red blend)
Jordan Nine Yards Chardonnay
Kaapzicht Steytler Vision (Pinotage-based Cape Blend)
Kanonkop Cabernet Sauvignon
Kanonkop Paul Sauer (Bordeaux-style red blend)
Kanonkop Pinotage
Kanu KCB Chenin Blanc
Klein Constantia Vin de Constance Natural Sweet (Dessert)
Kleine Zalze Cellar Selection Chenin Blanc
Kleine Zalze Family Reserve Sauvignon Blanc
Kleine Zalze Family Reserve Shiraz
Kleine Zalze Vineyard Selection Chenin Blanc
La Motte Pierneef Collection Shiraz Viognier
Môreson Pinotage
Morgenster (Bordeaux-style red blend)
Mulderbosch Barrel Fermented Chardonnay
Nederburg Ingenuity White (Blend)
Nederburg Private Bin Edelkeur Chenin Blanc Noble Late Harvest (Dessert)
Nederburg Private Bin Eminence Muscadel Noble Late Harvest (Dessert)
Nederburg Private Bin R163 Cabernet Sauvignon
Nederburg Winemaster’s Reserve Noble Late Harvest (Dessert)
Neethlingshof Maria Noble Late Harvest (Dessert)
Nuy Red Muscadel (Fortified dessert)
Nuy White Muscadel (Fortified dessert)
Paul Cluver Chardonnay
Paul Cluver Riesling Noble Late Harvest (Dessert)
Raats Family Cabernet Franc
Raka Biography Shiraz
Rijk’s Pinotage
Rust en Vrede Estate (Red blend)
Rustenberg Five Soldiers Chardonnay
Rustenberg John X Merriman (Bordeaux-style red blend)
Rustenberg Peter Barlow Cabernet Sauvignon
Sadie Columella (Rhône-style red blend)
Sadie Palladius (White blend)
Saronsberg Full Circle (Rhône-style red blend)
Saronsberg Shiraz
Saxenburg Private Collection Shiraz
Saxenburg Shiraz Select
Simonsig Merindol Syrah
Simonsig Redhill Pinotage
Spier Private Collection Cabernet Sauvignon
Spier Private Collection Pinotage
Spier Private Collection Shiraz
Stark-Condé Three Pines Cabernet Sauvignon
Steenberg Black Swan Sauvignon Blanc (Reserve)
Steenberg Semillon
Stellenzicht Golden Triangle Pinotage
The FMC Forrester Meinert Chenin (Ken Forrester)
Thelema Cabernet Sauvignon
Tokara Director’s Reserve White (Bordeaux-style blend)
Tokara Reserve Collection Stellenbosch Chardonnay
Uva Mira Single Vineyard Chardonnay
Vergelegen GVB Red (Bordeaux-style blend)
Vergelegen GVB White (Bordeaux-style blend)
Villiera Monro Brut (Cap Classique sparkling)
Warwick Trilogy (Bordeaux-style red blend)

Windmeul Pinotage Reserve

Top 100 SA Wines according to Wine Type and Category


WHITE WINE

 

CHARDONNAY
Ataraxia
Chamonix Reserve
Fleur du Cap Unfiltered (Bergkelder)
Groot Constantia
Hamilton Russell
Jordan Barrel Fermented
Jordan Nine Yards
Mulderbosch Barrel Fermented
Paul Cluver
Rustenberg Five Soldiers
Tokara Reserve Collection Stellenbosch
Uva Mira Single Vineyard

CHENIN BLANC
Beaumont Hope Marguerite
Bellingham The Bernard Series Old Vine (DGB)
Kanu KCB
Kleine Zalze Cellar Selection
Kleine Zalze Vineyard Selection
The FMC Forrester Meinert (Ken Forrester)

SAUVIGNON BLANC
Cape Point
Cederberg
Diemersdal Eight Rows
Graham Beck Pheasants’ Run
Kleine Zalze Family Reserve
Steenberg Black Swan (Reserve)

SEMILLON
Cape Point
Steenberg

WHITE BLENDS
Cape Point Isliedh (Bordeaux-style)
Nederburg Ingenuity
Sadie Palladius
Tokara Director’s Reserve (Bordeaux-style)
Vergelegen GVB (Bordeaux-style)

 

RED WINE

 

CABERNET FRANC
Raats Family

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Boekenhoutskloof
Cederberg Five Generations
De Trafford
Fleur du Cap Unfiltered (Bergkelder)
Guardian Peak Lapa
Kanonkop
Nederburg Private Bin R163
Rustenberg Peter Barlow
Spier Private Collection
Stark-Condé Three Pines
Thelema

PINOT NOIR
Chamonix Reserve
Hamilton Russell

PINOTAGE
Beyerskloof Reserve
Diemersfontein Carpe Diem
Kanonkop
Môreson
Rijk’s
Simonsig Redhill
Spier Private Collection
Stellenzicht Golden Triangle
Windmeul Reserve

SHIRAZ
Boekenhoutskloof
Bon Courage Inkará
Cederberg
Cirrus (Guardian Peak)
De Trafford 393
Eagles’ Nest
Hartenberg Gravel Hill
Hartenberg The Stork
Kleine Zalze Family Reserve
Raka Biography
Saronsberg
Saxenburg Private Collection
Saxenburg Select
Simonsig Merindol
Spier Private Collection

RED BLENDS
Beyerskloof Field Blend (Bordeaux-style)
De Toren Fusion V (Bordeaux-style)
Eikendal Classique (Bordeaux-style)
Ernie Els Proprietor’s Blend
Ernie Els Signature (Bordeaux-style)
Jordan Cobblers Hill (Bordeaux-style)
Kaapzicht Steytler Vision (Pinotage-based Cape Blend)
Kanonkop Paul Sauer (Bordeaux-style)
La Motte Pierneef Collection Shiraz Viognier
Morgenster (Bordeaux-style)
Rust en Vrede Estate
Rustenberg John X Merriman (Bordeaux-style)
Sadie Columella (Rhône-style)
Saronsberg Full Circle (Rhône-style)
Vergelegen GVB Red (Bordeaux-style)
Warwick Trilogy (Bordeaux-style)

SPARKLING WINE


CAP CLASSIQUE
Graham Beck Brut Blanc de Blancs
Villiera Monro Brut

 

DESSERT WINE

UNFORTIFIED
Fairview La Beryl Blanc (Straw)
Fleur du Cap Noble Late Harvest (Bergkelder)
Klein Constantia Vin de Constance Natural Sweet
Nederburg Private Bin Edelkeur Chenin Blanc Noble Late Harvest
Nederburg Private Bin Eminence Muscadel Noble Late Harvest
Nederburg Winemaster’s Reserve Noble Late Harvest
Neethlingshof Maria Noble Late Harvest
Paul Cluver Riesling Noble Late Harvest
 
FORTIFIED
Nuy Red Muscadel (Fortified)
Nuy White Muscadel (Fortified)

PORT-STYLE FORTIFIED WINE

CAPE VINTAGE RESERVE
Axe Hill
Boplaas
De Krans


Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Want to have your say?